Lock, retainer, and interlock for shifter devices



G. C. JENSEN. LOCK, RETAINER,AND INTERL'O'CK FOR SHIFTER DEVICES.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 25, I919.

Patented Apr. 20, 1920.

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I l I I f T I I I T 4 WITNESS 2: 4} [NVENTOR A TTORNE YS G. C. JENSEN. LOCK, RETAINER, AND INTERLOCK FOR SHIFTER DEVICES.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 25, I9l9.

Patented Apr. 20, 1920.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESS Y6 u E 2/ m r W W A TTORNE YS G C. JENSEN. LOCK, RETAINER, AND INTERLOCK FOR SHIFTER DEVICES.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 25, 1919.

A TTOR NE YS GEORGE C. JENSEN, OF OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA.

LOCK, RETAINER, AND INTERLOCK FOR SHIFTER DEVICES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 20, 1920.

Application filed June 25, 1919. Serial No. 306,701.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Gnonon C. JENsnN, a' citizen of the United States, residing at Oakland, in the county of Alameda and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Locks, Retainers, and Interlocksfor Shifter Devices, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to an improvement in the arrangement, formation and operation of a minimum number of parts for employment in connection with the shifter devices of a transmission case,whereby an interlock, retainer and lock is provided for said shifter devices at a minimum cost.

Heretofore especially designed members have been employed to cooperate with the shifter devices, and have been constructed in such manner as to admit of the interposition of a spring member between the same to normally maintain the same separated and n line therewith, there being employed a sol d member to provide an interlock between said shifter devices, but the present invention 1ncorporates all of these features in the design of the locking bolt which is capable of manufacture at very little cost and is adapted for ready assembly in transmisslon construction.

With the above mentioned and other objects in view, the invention consists in the novel construction and combination of parts hereinafter described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the claims hereto appended; it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion, size and minor details of construction within the scope of the claims may be resorted to with out departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

To more fully comprehend the invention, reference is directed to the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure l is a-transverse vertical sectional view of a transmission casing disclosing the preferred embodiment of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a" longitudinal sectional view taken on line 22 of 1.

F ig. 3 is a horizontal sectional. view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. i.

Fig. a: is a vertical transverse sectional view of an embodiment of my invention.

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of theinvention disclosed in Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a horizontal sectional view taken on line 66 of Fig. 4.-

Fig. 7 is a transverse vertical sectional view of an embodiment of my invention.

Fig. 8 is a longitudinal vertical sectional vew taken on line 8'8 of Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a horizontal sectional view taken on line 9-9 of Fig. 7.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, wherein like characters of reference designate corresponding parts, the numeral 1 indicates a suitable transmission case provided with a pair of bores 2, within which are longitudinally slidable the usual gear shifters 3. The case wall formed with said bores 2 is also provided with a bore 4 extending transversely thereof and connecting said bores 2. midway between said bores 2, is intersected by a vertical bore 5. The case is closed by a removable cover 6 mounting a lever 7 which is capable of operation for selectively moving the gear shifter devices 3 in the respective bores 2. The cover 6 over the case wall formed with said bores 2 is provided with a bolt receiving bore 8, open at its upper end and communicating at its lower end with the bore 5 intersecting said bore 4.

Mounted within the upper end of said bore 8 is a locking plunger 9, the upper end or stem 10 of which is adapted to project upwardly through the upper open end of the bore 8, said stem at its junction with the bolt 9 being surrounded by a flange 11, which is adapted when the bolt is in its extreme upper position to be limited in its upward movement by contact with the shoulder at the upper reduced end of the bore 8.

The bolt is retained in its depressed position by a suitable spring pressed latch l3. of any well known construction, which is adapted to overlie the flange- 11, said latch being retracted by the operation of any suitably well known key operated locking mechanism conventionally illustrated by the numeral 14;

Each of the shifter devices 3 is formed on its inner face with the speed stops 15 and the neutral stop 16, the neutral stop being of greater depth than the speed stops, and in the constructions illustrated in Figs. 6 and 9 of the drawings, these stops are V-shaped in plan, and in the construction illustrated in Fig. 3, the stops are arcuate in plan.

Said bore i, approximately.

In the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive, I prefer to employ the spherical members or balls 17 in the bore 4 between said shifter devices 3, said members being of a diameter e ual to the distance between said shifter devices 3 plus the depth of one of the stops 16 whereby the same will form an interlock for one shifter device on the movement of the other shifter device from its neutral position.

In this construction another spherical or spreader member 18 is deposited in the bore 5 above said members 17 and with which cooperates the presser foot 19 of a plunger 20 mounted in the lower end of the bore 8, with its upper end received in a uide openin 21 in the lower end of the b0 t 9.

hen the'bolt 9 is fully depressed, as in Fig. 2 of the drawings, which is only possible at such time as the devices 3 are in neutral position, the upper end of said plunger contacts with the upper end of the guide 21, and said foot 19 operates the spreader 18 to maintain the members 17 seated in their respective stops 16, precluding operation of said devices 3, due to the locking of the bolt 9 by the latch 13.

A coiled spring 22 surrounds the plunger 20 and is interposed between the lower edge of the bolt 9 and the upper surface of the presser foot 19, yieldably forcing said bolt and plunger in opposite directions within the bore 8 and normally maintaining tension on the spreader 18 to retain'said members 17 seated in whichever stops are moved into register with the opposite ends of said bore 4.

In Figs. 4 to 6 inclusive, I have illustrated a construction employing cylindrical members 23 positioned within the bore 4 between the shifter devices 3 and provide said members 23 with conical ends 24, the overall length of said members 24 when the adjacent points of the conical ends thereof are in contact is equal to the distance between said members 3 plus the depth of one of said stops 16, providing an interlock for precluding the movement of one device 3 during such time as the other one is moved from neutral position.

In this form, as in the illustration in Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive, I employ a spherical spreader 25 and modify the construction of the bolt and plunger to the extent of forming the bolt of a length to extend a considerable distance downwardly in the bore 8 and provide the same with a cylindrical channel 25' open at the lower end of said bolt and within which is received the plunger shell 26, the same having received therein a coil spring 27, which contacts with the upper end of the channel 25' and the base of the shell 26.

This construction, like that of Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive, enables the bolt, when in its deerative movement.

pressed position, to prevent independent upward movement of the shell 26 which operates on the spreader 25 and forces said members 23 apart, maintaining the outer ends seated in the stops 16 to lock said shifters 3 from movement.

In the disclosure illustrated in Figs. 7 to 9 inclusive, the members positioned in the bore 4 between the shifter devices 3 are formed with pointed outer ends 28, and their inner ends, on their upper surfaces to lie beneath the bore 5, are downwardly beveled, as at 29', said members being of a combined length equal to the distance between said shifters 3 plus the depth of one of said stops 16, to provide an interlock to preclude operative movement of one of said shifter devices 3 when the other is moved from neutral position. In this embodiment the spreader is eliminated and the lower end of the plunger 30 is wedge shaped, as at 31, to force said members 28 apart. The bolt in this construction is similar to that employed in the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 4 to 6 inclusive, but the upper end of the plunger in this case is reduced as at 32, providing a flange 33, and between which flange and the upper end of the channel 25 in said bolt is interposed a coiled spring 34, the action of which spring yieldably separates the bolt and plunger and yieldably maintains the members 28 seated in the stops registering with the opposite ends of the bore 4.

In all of these constructions it will be observed that the bore 8 mounts a plunger and locking bolt which are normally forced in opposite directions in the bore by a spring which yieldably separates the members positioned between the shifter devices to retain said shifter devices in their adjusted position, and on the locking of the bolt in its depressed position, which is only possible during that time when the stops 16 are in register with the opposite ends of the bore 4, the bolt prevents sufficient upward movement of the plunger to admit of the operation of either of said shifter devices 3, thus locking the shifter devices through the members in the bore 4 and the plunger from op- Havinsr thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is 1. In combination with a pair of parallel spaced longitudinally movable shifter devices provided on adjacent faces with stops, a pair of members positioned between said devices, one for cooperating with the stops on each shifter device, a separating member positioned above said members and between the same for normally separating the same, a longitudinally movable locking bolt, and means between said bolt and separating member for normally forcing said separating member and bolt in opposite directions,

said locking bolt when in looking position precluding the disengagement of said separating member from between said shifter devices on the movement of said devices.

2. In combination with a pair of parallel spaced longitudinally movable shifter devices provided on adjacent faces with stops, a pair of members positioned between said devices, one for coiiperating with the stops on each shifter device, said members being of a combined length equal to the distance between said shifterdevices plus the depth of one stop, a separating member positioned above said members and between the same for normally separating the same, a longitudinally movable locking bolt, and means between said bolt and separating member for normally forcing said separating member and bolt inopposite directions, said locking bolt when in looking position precluding the disengagement of said separating member from between said shifter devices on the movement of saiddevices.

3. In combination with apair of arallel a pair of members positioned between said faces, a separating member positioned between said members for normally separating the same, a longitudinally movable looking bolt, a plunger cotiperating therewith and interposed between said bolt and separating member, a spring cooperatin with said bolt and plunger for normally orcing the same in opposite directions to maintain said members yieldably in engagement with said shifter devices, said locking bolt when in looking position precluding movement of said plunger, whereby the same through said separating member prevents inward movement of either of said members, thus lock- 7 ing said shifter devices from movement.

4. In combination with a pair of {parallel spaced longitudinally movable shi er devices provided on ad acent faces with stops,

a pair of members positioned between said devices and one cooperating with the stops of each shifter device, the adjacent ends of said members having their upper surfaces inclined to the plane of operation of said members, said members when their adjacent ends are in contact occupying an area between said shifter devices equal to the distance between said shifter devices plus the depth of one stop, a separator coiiperating-with said inclined surfaces of said members, a longitudinally movable locking bolt, a plunger in alinement therewith and cooperating with said bolt and acting on said separator, a spring for yieldably maintaining said plunger in engagement with said separator to normally yieldably separate said members, said bolt when in its locking position precluding movement of said plunger by the operation of said shifter devices.

5. In combination with a pair of arallel spaced longitudinally movable shifter devices provided on adjacent faces with stops, a pair of spherical members positioned between said devices and one cooperating with the stops of each shifter device, said members when their adjacent surfaces are in contact occupying an area equal to the distance between said shifter devices plus the depth of one stop, a spherical wedge positioned above said spherical members for separating the same, a longitudinally movable locking bolt, a spring pressed plunger beneath said bolt and coiiperating with said spherical wedge to act on said wedge to yieldably maintain said spherical members in engagement with said shifter devices, said lpcking bolt when moved into locking position precluding retractive movement of said plunger by the actuation of said devices,

thus locklng said devices through saidspherical members from movement.

6. In combination with a pair of arallel spaced longitudinally movable shi ter dev1ces provided on adjacent faces with steps, a pair of spherical members positioned between said devices and one cooperating with the stops of each shifter device, a spherical separator cooperating with the adjacent surfaces of said members, a plunger cooperating with said separator, a locking bolt in line with said plunger, releasable lock con-= trolled means for lockin said bolt in its depressed position, a spring positioned be tween said bolt and plunger for normally forcin the same in opposite directions, said bolt w en in looking position engaging said plunger to preclude movement of the same toward said bolt to lock said shifter devices in their adjusted position.

7. In combination with a pair of longitud nally movable spaced gear shifters provided in adjacent surfaces with stops and connected by a bore extending transversely therebetween, said bore being intersected by a second bore arranged at an angle thereto, a pair of balls within said first bore, one for coiipera-tion with the stops of each shifter device, a separator ball in said second bore and extending into said first bore for resting on and between said balls in said first bore, a longitudinally movable plunger in said second bore and contacting with said separatorball, a locking bolt longitudinally movable 1n the upper end of said second bore, said plunger and bolt capable of relative telescopic movement, means for limiting the upward movement of said bolt in its bore, said bolt when moved into locking position precluding further telescopic movement of said plunger relatively thereto and forcing said separator ball between said pair of balls to preclude inward movement thereof and to lock said shifters in their adjusted ice position, a coiled spring interposed between its L memes said plunger and locking bolt for yieldably In testimony whereof 1 have signed my forcing the same in opposite directions in name to this specification in the presence of said second bore to normally maintain said two subscribing witnesses.

bolt in unlocked position and said plunger GEORGE C. JENSEN. in yieldable engagement with said separator Witnesses:

ball, and means for locking said bolt in I HARRY A. TOTTEN, locking position. D. B. Riemann 

